our shoulders would rest
side by side –
nowhere to slide away,
just room to close in
and share body heat.

our arms would overlap
then uncross;
our feet and heads
would beat and bob
to a rhythm we’d share.

our fingers would jump –
they would poke
and would provoke;
grow closer
and intertwine.

we would share moments –
magical ones –
if only I had learned
this language of music
flowing through circles and lines
of black and white.

there’s a chill in the air
that seeps to the bone;
involuntary shudders
struggle to keep her warm.
the skinny paths paved
down her cheeks by tears
stiffen instantly
by the winds whistling by.
darkness engulfs her
and drags her in
as the streetlights flicker out;
small clouds of breath
hover dreary.

she’s a runaway
from life;
robbed of a home.
as her pedals slow down
and adrenaline calms
fear billows in,
smug and grim.
realization strikes hard,
knocks away shortened breath:
she’s nowhere to run to,
nowhere to hide.